Peanut blanching machine



Aug. 5, 1952 P. GREEN PEANUT BLANCHING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1'7, 1948 #TIFiEi 521.: 2.5.5::

Aug. 5, 1952 P. GREEN ,7

I PEANUT BLANCHING MACHINE Filed July 17, 1948 e Sheets-Sheet 2 F. GREEN PEANUT BL Aug. 5, 1952 ING MACHINE,

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6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1'7, 1948 Aug. 5, 1952 P. GREEN PEANUT BLANCH ING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 1'7, 1948 e an.

Aug. 5, 1952 P. GREEN PEANUT BLANCHING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 17, 1948 l/ z 1 uVl/K vv V/I v P Lu.

g- 5, 1952 P. GREEN PEANUT BLANCHING MACHINE Filed July 17, 1948 I in I l I 1 1 I M 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 i atented Aug. 5, 1952 srArEs ElN-T f @rfn, seabrooh fi. as'signoi to ames ,w. Gardner; 'r rune; Pa;

Application-July 17, 1948'; Serial No: 393211 I his -i-nvention relates to machines blanching peanuts, i. e. removing the hulls cr -skins from. sh l ednn t and .ih p im r O t ,t i t i esi ei he, r d cti n: n proved machine for performing thisiunction.

( The removal of the skins from gthe nuts is greatly facilitated and with less damage to the nuts vhen the skins are slitted jiromend to end and I- have found; thatthis slitting'is done most efficiently Icy-arranging the nuts in; continuous rows and continuously passing the nuts thus arranged in contact with slitting knives which thereupon slit the skins'from end to end as the nuts pass the knives. My improved machine embodies an endless conveyor having parallel and longitudinally extending nut carrying troughs in its outer face vfor receiving nuts and arranging and conducting them longitudinally in ,a plurality of rows past skin slitting knives cooperatingwiththe troughs. Theslitted nutsare thenconducted; through a scalding hath thermostatically controlled to predetermined temperature, and from thence ;to and through a novel rubbing and skin removing apparatus comprising a; part; of the invention. {El e nut slitting, scalding and skin removin mechanisms are operated simultaneously and in cooperation and-a iurther feature of the invention includes thermostatically controlled means for operating all of such mechanisms only when the scalding bath is up topredetermined tem- .perature.

In some cases it; maybe desirable to scald the nuts prior to slitting the skins and my invention embodies a relatively simple machine for slitting and removing the skins from such scaldednuts; The nut conveyor of this machine embodies apluralitypf narrowbelts. providing nut ieeding troughs therebetweenand wherein the rows of nuts are continuously subjected to slitting knives. Following the slitting operation,

the nuts are forced downwardly: through the.

conveyor between the belts which operation serves to remove the hulls." The production of a niaohine of thisnature comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciatedimm the f lowi n dscriptionof inference embodiments thereof selected for purposesof illustration and sh in the accompanying drawings-in which: 1 is a inlet view of the skin slitting portion a blades are fixed to the-free endsof arms. 33

7 lfig. 9- is a wiring diagram of thelelectric coiltrols h Fig.- 10 is a pl anview 65 a edia-scammtion,

Fig; is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 12 illustrates-amodified form of conveyorald nem ni m and in.

I ig. 13 is a'sect ional view taken on line -l.3-l3

of i 12.

Referring first: to the machine :showndnliligs. l-il-ofthe drawings; AfFigs-l and 2) indicates the hull slitting portion of-the machine-B (Figs. .3 and 4) the scalding portion, andCiFigs; 5 and 6) the hull removing portion. H v, V

In Figs. 1 and 2; peanuts 10 are fediroma hopper I-2to an endless conveyor t4 supported on rollers l-5 and [6.5 The top reach ofthe -conveyor is drivenirom the hopper forwardly in the direction of the arrowand its outer face is grooved to provide a plurality of parallel peanut carrying troughs I'B disposed across and extending longitudinally of the conveyor.- If desired the conveyor can be formed from a plu- .ralityof narrow belts providing; troughs therebetween, as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. I

, The conveyor I4 is driven by :a; motor 20 through a belt 2 I. A :nut feeding roller 22 extends into the hopper and is driven from the motor through a belt 24. A spiral groove 23 in the roller aids in distributing the nuts onto the conveyor; The nuts pass from the hopper .onto the conveyor forwardly of a nut distributing feed roller 25 driven by a belt 26. 7 The functionof the roller 25 is to assist in arranging the nuts in the troughs l8 and permit only a single layer of nuts topass therebeneath. The troughs areV-shaped in cross sectionand under the actionof the-roller 25 the nuts, which 7 are of oblong shape .(Fig. 8), arrange themselves ie i d ne he mu s;

S p rted we tr sr i e a d. over and l'ongitudinally of the troughs are a plurality .of spring fingers 30, constructed either inone or a pluralityof pieces. The fingersiare slotted directl r ve; each trough and extending downwardly-through each slot and ooperat n with its trough isathin slitting blade-32. The

mounted on a transverse shaft 34. The weight mits of these motions.

3 of the arms normally maintains the blades in the nut engaging and slitting position illustrated in Fig. 2 or they may be spring loaded if desired. In their extreme downward position, illustrated in Fig. 1, the arms abut against the fingers which serve as a stop.

In Figs. 3 and4 the forward portion of an endless conveyor 36 is disposed beneath the delivery end of the conveyor 14 to receive the slitted nuts therefrom. The conveyor 36 is carried on rolls 38 and is disposed within a tank 39 adapted to hold a nut scalding liquid. The top reach of the conveyor passes over a supporting roll 40 .and from thence dips downwardly into the tank beneath marginal rolls 42. The liquid bath is maintained at a level substantially above the depressed a pipe 48 by a pump 50 and is heated by electric heatingunits '52. Efiicient scalding of the nuts requires a predetermined bath temperature and means is provided for automatically maintaining this temperature and operating the machine only when it is thus maintained, all as hereinafter described. The conveyor 36 is driven through a belt 53 from a motor 54 and the scalded nut are delivered from this conveyor to a chute 56.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the forward portion of an endless conveyor 58 is disposed beneath the delivery end of the chute 56 to receive the scalded nuts therefrom. This conveyor is carried on rolls 60 and is driven through a belt 6! from a motor 62. Disposed in spaced relation over and parallel with the top reach of the conveyor is an aluminum plate 64. The rear end of this plate is supported on two rods 65 extending loosely through a supporting bracket 66. The forward end of the plate is attached to a head 58 integral with the bottom end of a vertical shaft 69. The shaft extends upwardly through a fixed horizontal plate 10 disposed transversely of the conveyor.

As illustrated in Fig. 8, the shaft 69 extends eccentrically through a member 12 rotatably mounted in a bearing 14 fixed to the plate 10 by screws 15. The top end of the member 12 is grooved to receive a driving beltlG and thrust ball bearings 18 support the member on the bearing 14. Roller bearings 80 support the member for rotation on the shaft 69. Two co-engaging plates 8| and B2 are mounted on the shaft above the member 12, the bottom plate Bl being secured to the member by screws and the top plate 82 being keyed to the shaft at 84. Theshaft is supported in the unit by check nuts 86 threaded to the shaft and by an intermediate compression spring 81.

The belt 16 and member 12 are driven in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 7) and it'will be apparent that rotation of the member within the bearing 14 moves the shaft 69 in the orbit 88 shown in broken lines in Fig. 7. This action is transmitted to the plate 64 and reciprocates the plate longitudinallyand oscillates its forward end transversely and longitudinally. The looseengagement of the rods 65 inthebracket 66 per- A moderate vertical reciprocation of the plate 64 is also desirable and such action is effected through the cam-like co:- engaging faces of the plates 8i and 82,a's indicated at 89 in Fig. 8. The faces can be constructed with high and low spots to jog the plate 64 vertically one or more times at each rotation of the member 12. p

The plate 64 together with the following described facings serves as a hull-removing rubbing unit cooperating with the top reach of the conveyor 58. A cushion 90 of sponge rubber is carried on the bottom face of a facing plate 93 secured to the plate 64 and superposed over the bottom face of this cushion is a thin gum rubber sheet 91 and a fabric nut-engaging strip 9|. One end of the strip 9| is attached to a supply roll 92 and the other end is connected to a windup roll 94 provided with a hand crank 95. Thus the fabric can be renewed or changed merely by rotating the crank. It will be understood that the plate 64 is adjusted to a vertical position to engage the peanuts with suitable hull removing pressure between the fabric facing and the eonveyor.

In Fig. 91 have illustrated a wiring diagram of the electrical controls. 'One circuit together with a switch at 99 operated by a thermostat 96 in the bath is adapted to open the electricheating circuit when the bath reaches the predetermined scalding temperature. The other circuit includes a valve solenoid at 46 and motors 2D, 54 and62, and a switch at'85 operated by a thermostat 98 in the bath is adapted to break this circuit should the bath drop below the predetermined blanching temperature. Thus the hull slitting, scalding and removing operations are carried on automatically and always at the proper scalding temperature. The thermostatically controlled switch mechanisms are not illustrated in detail since such mechanisms are well known.

The operation of the machine shown in Figs. 1-9 and above described is briefly as follows. Nuts feed from the hopper [2 onto the conveyor M and the feed roller 25 causes them to become arranged longitudinally in the troughs [8. As

the nuts pass beneath the spring fingers 30 the blades 32 engage and'slit the skins from end'to end. The slitted nuts then feed directly onto the conveyor 36- which conducts them, submerged beneath the plate 43, through'the scalding bath and beneath the fresh water spray at 44. The scalded nuts are delivered to the conveyor 58 which conducts them beneath the rubbing plate 64 which plate is positioned to engage with suitable pressure the nuts between the fabric facing Qi and the conveyor. The oscillating action of the rubbing plate together with its slight vertical jog loosens the hulls and removes them from the nuts. The relatively light hulls can be separated from the nuts in any suitable manner.

It is particularly pointed out that the slitting of the hulls from end to end of the nuts frees the hull along the entire length of the nut and thereby permits complete removal of the hulls, whereas a sidewise or haphazard slitting of the hulls would not thus free the hulls and would result in portions of the hulls remaining on'the nuts and the necessity for a harsher rubbing treatment tending to break the nuts. 7

In Figs. 10 and 11, I have illustrated a modified construction similar to that shownin Fig. l but in which the conveyor embodies; a plurality of slightly spaced and endless narrow belts. 100 providing V-shaped troughs I0! therebetween. This mechanism is adapted to both slit and remove the hulls fromthe nuts and the hullson the nuts are scalded prior to entering this ma:- chine. The scalded nuts are deposited into-the hopper I2 and are fed therefrom to the conveyor as in Fig. 1 and are arranged longitudinally in the troughs as they pass thefeed roller 25. Supported on a transverse bar I02 and disposed over and longitudinally of the troughs are a plurality of spring fingers I03. Disposed beneath the conveyor and cooperating with each finger is a thin slitting blade I04. The blades are carried on the free ends of arms I05 mounted on a transverse shaft I05. The arms are weighted or spring loaded to maintain the blades in the nut engaging and slitting position illustrated in Fig. 11. The free ends of the fingers operate resiliently to hold the nuts against the blades as will be apparent so that the hulls are slitted from end to end as the nuts pass the blades.

Following the slitting of the hulls the nuts are carried beneath mechanism which pushes them downwardly through the conveyor between the belts, which operation serves to remove the hulls. The mechanism illustrated for this purpose comprises a shaft I01 and forwardly and rearwardly extending arms I08 mounted alternately thereon and having feet I09 on their free ends disposed over the troughs for engaging and forcing the peanuts downwardly through the conveyor. The arms are mounted for free rotation on the shaft and the weight of the arms causes the feet to force the nuts downwardly through the conveyor as the traveling nuts engage the downwardly facing inclined surfaces of the feet. A transverse conveyor I I0 is provided for receiving the hulled nuts.

In Figs. 12 and 13 I have illustrated a modified form of conveyor-scalding mechanism embodying a spiral conveyor that can be substituted for the endless conveyor shown at B in Figs. 3 and 4. This mechanism embodies a housing I20 provided with a cover lid I2I hinged at I22. Within the housing is a tubular casing embodying a lower trough-like half I24 and a removable upper half I25. A spiral conveyor I26 is mounted in the casing and rotatably supported at its ends I21 in the housing. The bottom wall'of the housing I20 is inclined downwardly toward a liquid holding reservoir I30 at one end and the casing I24 is perforated at I3I to permit passage of the liquid therethrough. A scalding bath is provided in the reservoir to the level of an overflow pipe I32. The bath is electrically heated at I34 and the apparatus is controlled in like manner as the apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Nuts are delivered from the conveyor I4 through a mouth I30 to the lower end of the casing. The spiral conveyor is rotated by" a belt at I38 and carries the nuts upwardly along the casing and through the scaldingliquid. A fresh water spray I40 at the top end of the casing washes the nuts before they are delivered to the conveyor 58.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a machine for blanching peanuts, a wide and endless conveyor having a plurality of continuous, relatively narrow, V-shaped and par.- allel peanut carrying troughs in its outer face disposed across the conveyor, means for driving the conveyor in one'direction longitudinally of the troughs, means for feeding peanuts onto the conveyor, a nut distributor disposed adjacent to and extending across said outer face rearwardly of the nut feeding position and cooperating with the conveyor automatically to arrange the peanuts in end to end relation in parallel rows in the troughs, and fixed knives respectively associated with the troughs for engaging and slittin the peanut hulls longitudinally of the peanuts solely by movement of the peanuts relative to the knives as the conveyor carries the peanuts along the paths of the troughs.

2. The machine defined in claim 1 in which the conveyor comprises a trough and a spiral conveying member therein and extending longitudinally of the tank.

3. In a peanut blanching machine, the combination of a tank adapted to hold a liquid scalding bath, a conveyor in and extending from end to end longitudinally of the tank and adapted to convey nuts therethrough, one portion of the conveyor being at a lower elevation in the tank relative to a remote portion thereof, a motor for driving the conveyor in a direction to convey nuts from end to end of the tank to said remote portion of the conveyor, means for spraying the nuts at said remote portion, an electric heating unit for the bath, and cooperating means controlled thermostatically from the bath for keeping the bath to predetermined temperature and for operating the motor only when the bath is up to said temperature.

4. The machine defined in claim 1 in which the conveyor embodies a plurality of relatively spaced endless belts providing said troughs therebetween, and a plurality of elements associated with the. troughs for engaging the traveling peanuts and pushing them downwardly through the conveyor between the belts and thereby removing the slitted hulls.

5. A peanut hull removing machine comprising an endless conveyor having a horizontal top reach, a rubbing plate disposed parallel with, adjacent to and cooperating with the top reach for engaging and rubbing therebetween peanuts supported on the top reach, a power driven eccentric adjacent to one end of the plate for oscillating the plate in a plane substantially parallel with the top reach, means supporting the plate at its other end in superposed relation over the top reach for movement by the eccentric, a resilient cushion carried on the rubbing plate in superposed relation over said top reach, and a strip of fabric carried on the plate and disposed over the bottom face of the cushion.

6. An apparatus for treating shelled nuts comprising means including parallel V-shaped troughs for arranging nuts in end to end relation in parallel rows, means for moving said troughs longitudinally and passing the arranged nuts longitudinally of the rows past a slitting position, and means for slitting the skins on the nuts from end to end of the nuts by cutting contact therewith as the nuts pass said slitting position, and leaving the body of the nuts substantially intact.

PHILIP GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Formway Oct. 5, 1939 

